Image forming apparatus, program adding method, and a recording medium

a technology of image forming and program, applied in the direction of digitally marking record carriers, digital output to print units, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of difficult to achieve the easy to upgrade version, the user may not be able to easily add a new application, and the user may not be able to easily achieve the addition of a new function or so to the machin

Inactive Publication Date: 2008-01-03
RICOH KK
View PDF2 Cites 6 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Enables seamless addition and upgrade of programs without power cycles, enhancing operational flexibility and preventing unauthorized sharing of recording media across multiple devices.

Problems solved by technology

By such a reason, adding a new application for the purpose of adding a new function or so to the machine may not be achieved easily for a user.
Consequently, there is a problem that a version upgrade may not be easily achieved in such a type of composite machine in the related art.
Furthermore, in such a type of composite machine in the related art, adding a new application may not be achieved during a state in which a power supply to the machine is maintained or the machine is running.

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Image forming apparatus, program adding method, and a recording medium
  • Image forming apparatus, program adding method, and a recording medium
  • Image forming apparatus, program adding method, and a recording medium

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

first embodiment

[0108] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to figures. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a composite machine in the present invention. The composite machine 1 has, as parts thereof, a monochrome laser printer (B & W LP) 11, a color laser printer (Color LP) 12, hardware resources 13 such as a scanner, a facsimile device, and so forth, a software group 20, and a composite machine starting part 50. The software group 20 has applications 30 and a platform 40. The applications 30 perform processing corresponding to respective ones of various user services concerning image formation processing as a printer service, a copy service, a facsimile service, a scanner service, etc.

[0109] The applications 30 include a printer application 31 for providing the printer service having a page description language (PDL, PCL) and a PostScript (PS); a copy application 32 for providing the copy service; a facsimile application 33 for providing the facsimile service; a s...

second embodiment

[0209] Therefore, in the composite machine 1 the process of the application recorded in the SD card 126 is automatically executed although the SD card 126 is inserted into the machine 1 in a state in which the power supply is maintained. For example, in the composite machine 1 of FIG. 1, a new application in the SD card 126 is added as one of the applications 30.

[0210] In the SD card insertion detection processing shown in FIG. 17, the setting file such as that shown in FIG. 6, the file such as that shown in FIG. 7, or a program to be added to the applications 30 or the platform 40 recorded in the SD card is read out from the SD card 126, and is mounted automatically. However, also in the second embodiment, for the purpose of preventing an illegal copy of the SD card 126, an electronic authentication check system may be applied as will now be described.

[0211]FIGS. 20, 21A and 21B show an operation flow chart of an example of an SD card insertion detection processing according to a...

third embodiment

[0261]FIG. 29 shows a diagram of a configuration of the composite machine according to the present invention particularly concerning an SD card drive function. Although the diagram shown in FIG. 29 includes two SD card slots 125 and 127, three or more SD card slots may be provided in the same machine.

[0262] Each of SD cards 126 and 128 shown is same as the above-mentioned SD card described above with reference to FIG. 8 concerning the first embodiment. The composite machine 1 according to the third embodiment is configured so that the SD cards 126 and 128 may be inserted thereinto or removed therefrom in a state in which the power supply to the composite machine is maintained, in other words, insertion or removal of the SD cards can be performed in a hot plugging manner. The SD card slots 125 and 127 can have the SD cards 126 and 128 inserted thereinto or removed therefrom, and, provide interrupts to an SD card access driver 124 in response to the insertion / removal of the SD cards 1...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

PUM

No PUM Login to View More

Abstract

An image forming apparatus include a program for performing a process concerning image formation by using a hardware resource, and a slot which a recording medium is inserted into and removed from. A status monitoring part monitors whether or not a recording medium is inserted or removed; a recording medium starting part starts the recording medium inserted into said slot into a state in which said recording medium is assessable; and a program starting part reads a program from said recording medium started into the accessible state, and starting said program.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a Divisional of and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 from U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 429,865, filed May 6, 2003, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2002-133063, filed May 8, 2002; 2002-144984, filed May 20, 2002; 2003-127171, filed May 2, 2003; 2003-127172, filed May 2, 2003; 2003-127173, filed May 2, 2003; 2003-127174, filed May 2, 2003; and 2003-127175, filed May 2, 2003, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a program adding method, and a recording medium, and, especially, to an image forming apparatus which adds a program read out from a removable recording medium, the method for adding a program, and a removable recording medium from which a program is read out and then is add...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to View More
Patent Type & AuthorityApplications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G06K15/00G06F9/445G06F21/57
CPCG06F8/60G06F9/445H04N1/00965H04N1/00278G06F21/57
InventorKOBAYASHI, AYAKOKAWAURA, HISANORI
OwnerRICOH KK